error opening Word files

[Nathaly]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

when I try to open WD files I am getting the following error message: uses a file type that is blocked from opening in this version. To help secure your computer some file types are blocked from opening when you double click the file or drag the file to the Microsoft Word icon. If you trust that this file is secure, you can open the file by cllicking Open in the File menu. To learn more about..........
I have over 1000 files that can't be opened. I am frustrated, can you pls help!

Nath

 

[John McGhie]

You've missed an update: run Microsoft Update. That was fixed in an updated
about a year ago.

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

when I try to open WD files I am getting the following error message: uses a
file type that is blocked from opening in this version. To help secure your
computer some file types are blocked from opening when you double click the
file or drag the file to the Microsoft Word icon. If you trust that this file
is secure, you can open the file by cllicking Open in the File menu. To learn
more about..........
I have over 1000 files that can't be opened. I am frustrated, can you pls
help!

Nath

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

Have you followed the direction in teh message to use "...Open in the File
menu."?

If you still cannot open the files that way you'll need to supply
considerably more details including the source, type & version of the files
involved, what type of "objects" they may contain, where they're stored, as
well as specific version update level of your Office installation --
12.[what].[what], & the same for your update level of OS X.

 

[Nathaly]

Hello John,

Would you please let me know what update I need to install? The version of Word I am running is Word 2008 for Mac, 12.1.7 (090302), Latest installed update 12.1.7

Best,

Nath

 

[Nathaly]

Hi Bob,

Yes when I try the "Open in the file menu" I got exactly the same error message. The other thing is that most of my files are with Cirrilic symbols in them as I teach russian. Is it possible that the files can't be opened because I would need some language pack installed on my MAC?

Best,

Nath

Have you followed the direction in teh message to use "...Open in the File
menu."?

If you still cannot open the files that way you'll need to supply
considerably more details including the source, type & version of the files
involved, what type of "objects" they may contain, where they're stored, as
well as specific version update level of your Office installation --
12.[what].[what], & the same for your update level of OS X.
--
HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
Office:Mac MVP

wrote in message

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

when I try to open WD files I am getting the following error message: uses
a file type that is blocked from opening in this version. To help secure
your computer some file types are blocked from opening when you double
click the file or drag the file to the Microsoft Word icon. If you trust
that this file is secure, you can open the file by cllicking Open in the
File menu. To learn more about..........
I have over 1000 files that can't be opened. I am frustrated, can you pls
help!

Nath

 

[CyberTaz]

No, there is no "language pack", but I need the answers to the questions I
asked in order to have any idea what to suggest. Also, what was used to
insert the Cyrillic symbols?

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

Hi Bob,

Yes when I try the "Open in the file menu" I got exactly the same error
message. The other thing is that most of my files are with Cirrilic symbols in
them as I teach russian. Is it possible that the files can't be opened because
I would need some language pack installed on my MAC?

Best,

Nath

Have you followed the direction in teh message to use "...Open in the File
menu."?

If you still cannot open the files that way you'll need to supply
considerably more details including the source, type & version of the files
involved, what type of "objects" they may contain, where they're stored, as
well as specific version update level of your Office installation --
12.[what].[what], & the same for your update level of OS X.

--
HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
Office:Mac MVP

wrote in message

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

when I try to open WD files I am getting the following error message: uses
a file type that is blocked from opening in this version. To help secure
your computer some file types are blocked from opening when you double
click the file or drag the file to the Microsoft Word icon. If you trust
that this file is secure, you can open the file by cllicking Open in the
File menu. To learn more about..........
I have over 1000 files that can't be opened. I am frustrated, can you pls
help!

Nath

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Nath:

Hmmmm... You are right up-to-date, there are no further updates.

Your symptoms are the same as were introduced by the 12.0.1 update and fixed
in the 12.1.0 Service Pack.

The error would occur if you tried to open one of the old eight-bit
file-types by double-clicking in the Finder. If you opened the file using
File>Open it would open normally.

It was a protective mechanism introduced to prevent Word automatically
opening files that could contain damaging exploits.

We need to do some investigation to see why you are seeing the error.

Let's start with the question Bob asked: that's key to knowing what to do
next.

Cheers

Hello John,

Would you please let me know what update I need to install? The version of
Word I am running is Word 2008 for Mac, 12.1.7 (090302), Latest installed
update 12.1.7

Best,

Nath

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Nathaly]

Hi John and Bob,

I was wondering if you guys were able to reproduce the issue with WD 2008 and the error I am encountering.
I appreciate your hepl!

Nath

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, we can't repro the issue since we don't have your files but
hopefully we won't need them. Any files I have which were created by any
version of Office -- PC or Mac -- in the 97-2003 format open just fine. I'm
thinking that your problem may very well be a font issue. Try this first;

Quit all MS programs & go to: User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008
then delete the file: Office Font Cache (12),

Also, launch the OS X program called Font Book & use its Edit> Resolve
Duplicates feature, then select all fonts in the list & use the File>
Validate Font command [include your results when you reply], then

Shut down your Mac, start up, launch Word & see if you have any success
getting into those files using File> Open.

If you still have the problem include what the file type (file name
extension) is in your reply. Should they not have an extension, say so, but
use Get Info to find out what "Kind:" is specified. It might also help if
you can quote the "different error" you're seeing in PC Word as well as
which version of PC Word it is.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Nath:

As Bob says, without your files, we can't reproduce the problem.

However, I think we're chasing two problems here: The first is that the
documents are using an old non-Unicode font. That's what's giving you the
Cyrillic problem. And it's easy to fix: switch to a modern font.

The second problem is that those files are probably in the old 8-bit Word 2
format. Also easy to fix: save them as .docx and they should be fine.

The article you are looking for applies only to PC Word. The version you
want is this one:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953266

Cheers

Hi John and Bob,

I was wondering if you guys were able to reproduce the issue with WD 2008 and
the error I am encountering.
I appreciate your hepl!

Nath

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Nathaly]

Hi John,

The issue opening files in WD 2007 was resolved long time ago, the existing issue is not being able to open the same files on WD for MAC.
I will try Bob's suggestions later on this afternoon and I will let you know of the outcome.

Your help is greatly appreciated

Nath

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Nath:

Yes, the issue was resolved a long time ago in Word 2008 also, however,
there remains an issue if the original files are REALLY old.

Then you MUST use File>Open to get them up, they won't open any other way.

Once you have them open, you can Save As to .docx and you won't get the
issue again for another 20 years

Cheers

Hi John,

The issue opening files in WD 2007 was resolved long time ago, the existing
issue is not being able to open the same files on WD for MAC.
I will try Bob's suggestions later on this afternoon and I will let you know
of the outcome.

Your help is greatly appreciated

Nath

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]